


A little Secret

by Anonymous



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, F/M, I don't remember writing this...somewhere in 2016, Why Did I Write This?, ish, totally irrelevant now that season 2 is airing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-17
Updated: 2016-03-17
Packaged: 2019-06-11 22:03:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15325338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: An AU where Adrien never went to school. Since Adrien was never in the picture LB/Mari loves Chat and vice versa, but Ladybug bears a bigger secret then just her identity which keeps her from approaching him.





	A little Secret

**Author's Note:**

> I found this drabble from 2016ish in my google docs and while it is not that great, I'm going to post it anyway as part of my personal cleaning up program.

She’s cheating again and she knows it. One day, she’ll tell him something about the present, is what she tells herself. Why are they playing this game again? Tikki will probably scold her later. It shouldn’t be so hard. Chat always talks about recent events. Yet Ladybug always talks about the past. It’s easier not to slip up this way. No personal information that might lead him to her. How can Chat be so casual about his civilian life?

“I had a piano recital today.” or “It was the first time people put body paint on me for this new soap commercial coming out in Spring.”

Then again it’s nothing that would lead her back to his house. She shivers when she realizes he never called it ‘home’.

“Next week is my birthday, but I don’t think my father will let me have a birthday party.”

 

“Even though I’m half Chinese, I can’t speak Mandarin.”

“Cantonese?” Chat suggests and she nods.

 

"Give me a hint." Chat says, and she doesn’t know why she’d ever agreed to this game. They sit together on top of the Eiffel tower and watch the sunset. Outside from patrol and work, Chat has never left his house. She knows she’s his only friend, his connection to the outside world.

 

“When I was in elementary school, I used to have very beautiful long hair...”, she starts. Chat hums as he closes his eyes and tries to imagine a younger version of her with longer pigtails held by red ribbons flowing in the wind, running around and laughing with other kids.

 

“What made you change them?”

 

“There was this other girl who was jealous of me, I think. I tried to ignore her, and I still kind of do, but one day, her group attacked me on my way home.”, Ladybug pauses as Chat looks up at her. He doesn’t say anything, so she continues.

“They pushed me to the ground and cut my hair. Around this length I think.” she mentions to her current length.

“They only stopped when Chl – I mean the girl scratched my scalp. I keep my hair in pigtails now since it covers the place where that left a scar. I never told anyone what really happened and she didn‘t harm me physically ever again. I mean – I guess it must’ve shocked her too?”

 

Chat scowls at this.

* * *

_Two Years Later_

She should’ve seen that coming. With Hawkmoth defeated, there was no reason not to. Marinette wondered how she could’ve forgotten such an important detail of the deal. She nurses the tea Master Fu had offered the superheroes. Chat keeps glancing at her, expectantly. She's trying really hard not to cry.

 

“With the evil threat terrorizing Paris gone, you two might reveal yourselves to each other.”, Master Fu suggests and Chat beams at her side. Ladybug‘ s eyes narrow at the guardian. How many times had she dreamed of knowing who Chat really was? How often did she fantasize in class of what could’ve been? She was afraid. And very angry.

 

“What good would that do now?”, she asks Fu, her voice going shrill with every word. She sats her teacup down, making a very loud clatter. “Hawkmoth’s gone so Ladybug and Chat Noir have to leave as well to regain the order, isn’t that right? Why are you torturing me like this?”

 

Fu gives her a look that says ‘you knew what would happen’ and leaves the room. The same two boxes which contained their jewels the day they got them lie heavily in front of them.

 

“What’s wrong Bug?” Chat looks afraid of her sudden outburst.

 

“Nothing! I just want you to remember me like this! As the girl you loved! Is it that much to ask?”, she lies. He would not take this very well. Why had she made this mistake all these years ago? Chat… deserved happiness.

“I’m sorry Chaton.”

 

“Do you really not trust me?”

 

“I always trusted you, it just would not be fair to you.”, her hand went to the place where she was stabbed all those years ago. Chat‘ s eyes follow the motion. He grabs her wrist and puts her hand in his, massaging small circles onto it.

 

“Whatever it is, we can deal with it together. Just give me a hint.”

 

She sighs at his stubbornness. Fate is really cruel to them.

 

“Chat, I’m in love with you. I’m so, so much in love with you.” she tears up and sinks to her knees again. He goes down with her and tries really hard not to overthink why that is making her cry. If his brain throws out theories after theories like it usually does, he’ll miss the most important thing in his life.

 

“Well, that’s great! I mean, I love you too!”

 

“No, no it’s not, Chat. I… I’m not human.”, she whispers quietly.

 

“You know… the last time I checked...”, he gestures to his fake cat ears.

 

“That’s not what I meant! When I take off these earrings, I’ll be...” Chat’s ears fall as he listens to her story.

* * *

_Origins - Flashback_

People assume when you die you see your life flashing before your eyes. But Marinette did not see any outstanding moments in these what felt like thirty seconds. All she saw was the silver SUV heading her way. She could see the passed out driver with his brown cap slipping to the side. Maybe he had a heart attack? Marinette felt as if she was floating. Everything around her seemed to have stopped moving. She blinked and got a small glance at the old Chinese man she pushed away. She knew she wouldn’t make it as she did that. He said something to her but all she could do was shake her head in slow motion. She couldn’t hear what he said as it felt like her head was under water. Only that the impact finally hitting her felt like she was dragged back to the surface. Then she could hear again. People yelling, wheels screeching, birds singing at this warm spring morning where her body was sent flying backwards to crumble on the street. She felt chippings dig into her skin before anything else. Bystanders were forming around her unmoving body, but she had only eyes for the Chinese man she had pushed out of the way.

“It’s too late to call an ambulance.” he said.

“Are you an angel of death or something?”

He blinks at her and shakes his head. “I’m a healer and the great guardian of the miraculouses.”

Marinette’s unbeating heart jumps in her throat. “Can you help me?” they both grimace over her innocent question.

“I could, in a way. If I do help, would you help me in return?”

She is about to promise him anything, babbling about how much she still has to do, when a sudden flash of green light shots out of his pockets, turning into… a floating turtle?

“Master, please reconsider! You still have time to find another wielder for the ladybug miraculous.”

“It talks. Your flying koopa talks. Is this the way my damaged brain is telling me I played to many video games?” she asks dryly.

“No one is better then Marinette, Wayzz. I can feel the presence of evil coming closer. Marinette, I want you to take on the mantle of Ladybug, a superheroine to protect Paris. As long as you wear these earrings, you will be able to continue your life like this was all just a bad dream.”

“So I’m actually in a dream?” she murmurs dazedly, drifting off when he puts in the earrings.

* * *

 

“I woke up in my bed, with earrings I never had before in my ears and Tikki explaining everything to me again. I restarted the day as if it never had happened. We have only met every once in a while after that day. It felt like I was living with an incurable disease. Knowing I would die one day and accepting that I couldn’t change it, making the best out of my life.”

“I didn’t assume you liked me back at the beginning, because you also flirted with civilian me. Whenever you told me of your arranged marriage with your childhood friend, I couldn’t help but feel relieved because I thought one day, he might fall in love with her and will live a happy life. And then I was devastated because I would never get to see this. I was so egoistic, I just wanted… for a little longer, pretend that this isn’t a dream. Our partnership meant the world to me, so I acted as if everything was okay.”

 

“You kept quiet because you didn’t want to hurt me?” This had to be a nightmare. Some horrible, horrible nightmare caused by an akuma. A bad dream, nothing a miraculous cure couldn’t fix.

 

“I can’t take this any more!”, Plagg says as he flies out off the ring, followed by a red kwami coming out of Ladybug’s earrings.

 

“Marinette...”, Tikki starts.

 

“Princess….” She is so beautiful, Adrien thinks.

 

Adrien takes her out for a walk down the Seine. It feels like they’re walking for an eternity, hand in hand, until he starts to realize everything. He always wanted to take her on a date but now he feels like an idiot. She wants to watch the sun rise one more time. Tears are falling from her eyes.

 

“I have a letter explaining everything for my parents.”

 

“I’ll give it to them”

 

The sun appears. “Miraculous ladybug”, Marinette smiles softly at him as she takes out her earrings…. And turns into millions of ladybugs disappearing in the sky. He picks up her earrings and curls up where she sat, crying his head off.


End file.
